King Speaks on Simpson Verdict : Race: Civil rights leader’s widow says trial won’t damage relations. She also endorses ‘Million Man March.’

Coretta Scott King said Thursday night that she doubted the O.J. Simpson verdict would have a detrimental impact on U.S. race relations in the long run, and for the first time she endorsed the controversial “Million Man March” in Washington, D.C., on Monday Speaking to about 300 at Soka University, King acknowledged that “we have a lot to do to eradicate racial polarization and conflict in this nation, as has been most recently evidenced by the reactions to the verdict in the O.J. Simpson case.”

But the widow of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. added: “One incident is not going to undo all the good deeds of the bridge-builders and the healers who are carrying on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.”

“I strongly believe that this verdict should have no effect whatsoever on the racial attitudes of people of good will, regardless of their race,” King said.

King went out of her way to touch upon the Simpson verdict in her speech, warning that “no matter what one thinks about the verdict in this case, using it to make generalizations about an entire race is, in itself, racism.”

But she added that she hopes the case will raise awareness about domestic violence and racism in law enforcement.

In response to a question from the audience, King also spoke out on the “Million Man March,” which has raised memories of her husband’s march that was climaxed by his “I Have a Dream” speech.

The march is intended to unite black men from across the country to atone for their past wrongs and reclaim their lives, but has drawn controversy because of past anti-Semitic statements by its first organizer, Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam.

“The goals of the march, as I understand them, are very worthy,” said King, who in the past has criticized Farrakhan, “and it’s important for black men to make a statement as men at this stage in our history.”

Asked whether women should be upset that they are asked not to attend, King said to warm applause: “We ought to allow our men to do something like this.”

King’s address, kicking off Soka’s Human Rights Lecture series, was greeted with a standing ovation.

She urged her audience to continue her husband’s legacy of nonviolent activism and idealism by fighting for human rights, the environment and “boycott[ing] this toxic culture of violence that has poisoned music, film and television.”

King also said her late husband always supported affirmative action, and that it was “a very small token of what should have been done” to make up for centuries of slavery and discrimination.

Some opponents of affirmative action have argued that Martin Luther King Jr., who called for a colorblind society, would object to current affirmative action policies.

The audience bade King farewell by singing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.”